Artist: Bill Evans - Album: Live at Art D’Lugoff’s Top of the Gate (Remastered)

Another live Bill Evans set emerges from the archives, and this one, in DSD guise, is a cracker. Recorded in 1968, it has just the right combination of live atmosphere and focus on the performances, meaning one can enjoy what’s being played and the sense of event without Jazz At The Pawnshop levels of distraction. Engineer George Klabin recorded these performances for his radio show, and got an intimate, yet dynamic sound. Evans is here with a relatively new trio of Eddie Gomez – with whom he’d been playing for a couple of years – and recently-arrived drummer Marty Morell. The three have an easy rapport, with Gomez delivering stylish basslines and Morell both surefooted and light of touch. Add in the clarity of the sound, without the artificial spotlighting of more modern live sets, and you have a delightful package. AE

Sound Quality: 80%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Copied from the 1968 ¼in mastertape by 2xHD.com at DSD5.6, the asymmetric downsample to 96kHz LPCM has an erroneous component [sampling artefact at 24kHz, above]. The DSD version should be superior [see here]. PM